


High Stakes

by clarkesjade



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Cute, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Short One Shot, but its not a joke its just there for the plot, coronavirus lurks in the background, just a cute short for some sad times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:20:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23618902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarkesjade/pseuds/clarkesjade
Summary: Probably isn't best to leave these three locked alone with their only entertainment being each other.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	High Stakes

“ _Rebarbative_ ,” Natasha enunciated as she placed nearly all her remaining letters on the scrabble board with a wicked grin.

Bucky peered over the board. “Definition?”

“Steve Rogers,” Natasha replied seriously as she chose her replacement letters.

“Very funny,” Steve muttered.

Playing board games in a tiny safehouse in Thailand was not how the three pictured their mission going, but this new pandemic had swept across the globe, peaking the moment they’d arrived in Krabi. The team had been tracking a dangerous arms dealer last spotted in Thailand. Unfortunately, their target had escaped just before all flights were grounded, and the team was stuck until Rhodey could negotiate their sanctioned flight out, whom they’d called as a favor.

The game of scrabble continued until Natasha placed her final word, bragging at her score which skyrocketed next to the men’s when she utilized all the ‘z’s. As the board game was packed up, she spotted Bucky handing Steve a five-dollar bill in secret, which she pretended not to notice. Steve left the cramped living room to brush his teeth while the sun sank below the horizon. They’d hoped they would get confirmation from Rhodey soon, so they could depart with the dark night as a shield.

Steve finished washing up and answered a quick update text from Tony, before heading back to the living room. The safehouse could barely hold all three of them, but it’d have to do for now, or however long they might be stuck here. Luckily, they had a view, and Krabi was a picturesque resort town with glimmering waves lapping up against the tree-laden hills. Steve understood the moment he arrived why Thailand was a popular tourist destination.

His scenic mental image shattered though, when he approached the room and found Bucky and Natasha making out heavily on the couch.

“Buck--…Romanoff?” Steve sputtered, and the two broke apart, staring at him with fear in their eyes.

“Steve…” Natasha rose to her feet, running a hand through her tousled hair. Her voice was cautious, and she held her hands up like she was calming down a wild horse.

“I cannot…” Steve pulled out his phone while speaking with fake anger. “I can’t believe you two would…sneak around…”

Steve’s accusations trailed off as he typed out a text message.

“What are you doing?” Bucky asked, also standing up with confusion etched on his face.

“Ha!” Steve exclaimed as he sent the message. “I had a bet with Tony on how long it would take for you two to…you know…Anyway that’s ten bucks to me.” Steve winked at the two of them.

“Wow, Steve,” Bucky said, shaking his head as he also pulled out his phone. “I’m so disappointed you’d fall prey to gambling like this.”

Natasha narrowed her eyes at Bucky as he too became distracted by his own text message.

Bucky grinned as placed his phone back in his pocket. “Five bucks Steve would bet on me and Nat. Sam can suck it.”

Steve’s face fell, and Natasha looked back and forth at the two men, frowning. She stepped closer towards Bucky, her lip trembling.

“So, all that, was for a bet,” Natasha whispered, her voice cracking. Steve immediately turned away, not wanting to be appear involved in what might be the most dangerous couple’s fight ever, considering how they once were both the world’s top killers.

The color in Bucky’s face flushed, and he swallowed nervously. “N-no—”

Natasha looked away, tears sprouting in her eyes.

“No, Nat, I wasn’t…I’m sorry…I didn’t mean…Nat please…”

“Damn it!” Steve cried out, and reached in his pocket, slapping ten dollars into Natasha’s hand.

Bucky scowled at the exchange.

“Bucky apologizes for faking being in love with me,” she explained, giggling at Bucky’s glower.

“You manipulated that one pretty heavily,” Steve muttered, and Natasha shrugged.

“Don’t hate the player,” Natasha said cheerfully, pocketing her win.

Bucky stepped back, analyzing the two. “This isn’t over.”

“It absolutely is not,” Natasha said, and excused herself to the bathroom. Steve and Bucky nodded at each other, and the game was fully afoot.

While the evening settled in calmly, there was nothing but tension in the room. More board games commenced, and the three sent secret messages to one other. There truly wasn’t anything else to do. Various potential interactions and movements began sparking a bet, and soon it seemed the same ten-dollar bill was being passed around multiple times, becoming more crinkled each exchange.

“Oh, grow up,” Natasha finally burst out with after Steve disgruntledly passed Bucky his money when Natasha wobbled the tower in Jenga. Bucky sighed in defeat at Natasha’s words, and handed back his winnings to Steve, to Natasha’s annoyance.

The Jenga tower ultimately fell with Steve’s move, and Bucky slid a few dollars towards Natasha.

Steve glared down at her playfully. “Hypocrite.”

Nighttime arrived, and the bets were evolving, becoming more and more petty. Natasha lost to Steve on when Bucky would grab a snack. Steve handed over his bills to Bucky when Natasha lost a game of poker after exactly three rounds. Natasha then took back her money from Bucky when Steve sent a text to Tony.

“Predictable,” Natasha said casually, fanning herself with the bills.

“Nat calls us out on how easy it is for her,” Bucky exclaims, holding out his hand as Steve gives him a dollar.

“You bet one dollar on that?” Natasha said. “Don’t tell me you bet on what I just said now too.”

“Apparently one dollar still means something to me.” Steve shrugged. Then he snatched back the dollar from Bucky. “And yes, we did bet on what you said as well. Thanks for that one!”

Bucky accepted a dollar from Natasha. “Steve bets Natasha says he bet on something she said during poker.”

Steve passed Bucky a dollar. “Natasha bets on me betting on something she’d say I’d bet on something she said.”

Natasha paused suddenly, processing Steve’s words. Even Steve seemed perplexed but what he just said, and his eyes moved around as if he was solving some math problem in his head.

“I don’t think that makes sense,” Bucky said under his breath to Steve, brows furrowing in confusion.

Steve glanced at the clock. “Forty-five minutes for it all to descend into madness. Pay up, Romanoff.”

After Natasha gave up her dollar, she went through her earnings, as did Bucky and Steve.

“It’s quite possible we all have the exact same amount of money we did when we started this,” Natasha mused. Her eyes then flashed up, waiting to see if one of the men would pay the other.

“So that was all waste of time,” Bucky sighed. Natasha then discreetly paid Steve two dollars, which Bucky noticed.

“Okay, enough,” Bucky said, rolling his eyes.

Steve and Natasha’s retorts were cut off by Steve’s phone ringing. He answered quickly, and his face fell immediately, while Bucky waited impatiently.

“It was Rhodey,” Steve said after hanging up, and groaned, handing Bucky the two dollars he’d just earned.

“Are we going to leave or not?” Natasha interrupted, annoyed. 

“Oh, yeah,” Steve said, nodding. “A jet is standing by at the airport. But we can’t be seen by the public.”

Natasha and Bucky nodded, exchanging small glances.

Steve looked over the two of them. The joking atmosphere was dissolving. Steve had assumed his leadership status, and nodded as well with a serious look on his face.

“Suit up.”

“Yes!” Natasha grinned while Bucky muttered something under his breath, and handed Natasha two dollars.

“That’s the last one,” Steve said seriously, and the three of them nodded together. They then separated to get dressed in their stealth suits.

Natasha left to get some air just outside the door, reaching for her phone. She dialed a number, glancing through the windows from outside to make sure the two men weren’t on her tail. She held the phone to her ear.

“So how many times?” Nick Fury’s voice reached her ear.

“36,” Natasha said with a mischievous grin. “You owe me twenty bucks.”

Fury swore.


End file.
